Ensure fair elections, says Punjab CPI

JALANDHAR, June 17: The Punjab unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged the Punjab government and the State Election Commissione...

JALANDHAR, June 17: The Punjab unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged the Punjab government and the State Election Commissioner to take urgent steps to ensure free and fair poling in the panchayat elections in the state scheduled for June 21.

In a statement here, secretary of the unit Dr Joginder Dayal, said that governor, Lt Gen (retd) B. K. N. Chhibber and State Election Commissioner C. D. Cheema should take urgent steps so that "forcible” elections were stopped and free and fair polling was ensured.

Dayal lashed out against the statement of Punjab Panchayat and Development Minister, Nirmal Singh Kahlon that the panchayat elections were being held in a free and fair manner and that the state election commission was the overall incharge of conducting panchayat election.

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Dayal said the right for making reservations in panchayats for women, scheduled caste and scheduled tribes rested with the government. He said his party had been demanding from the very beginning that this right should be given to the State Election Commission to ensure free and fair panchayat elections.

The CPI leader said that more than 10,000 writ petitions had been filed in the High Court against the present election process so far which nullified the government’s claim of having fair elections.